Looking for a small sloop for your Age of Sail Game?  Our 6mm Bermuda Sloop model is 3D printed in hi-res SLA resin features wood and floral wire mast construction. This is an updated digital re-sculpt of an older hand-sculpted design.

Available in two versions

6MM scale Captain’s Edition : This is the latest 6MM version of this kit featuring MSLA resin 3D printed hull, masts, shrouds and sails. The kit features an improved resin that has high detail but maintains part flexibility. The goal of the Captain’s Edition is to get a model on the table for gameplay in a faster manner then previous versions.

6MM scale HarborMaster Edition : This is a legacy version of this kit. 3D printed in Hi Res SLA, featuring wood and floral wire mast construction. The kit comes unpainted and unassembled. This kit type is ideal for more skilled modelers who plan to rig and/or make make sail prom paper, or want to reflect the ship as it would appear in a harbor not under sail. If this version is out of stock it may be available by contacting us for a special order.

Bermuda sloops were fore-and-aft rigged single-mast sailing vessels developed on the islands of Bermuda in the 17th century.  The high, raked masts of the Bermuda rig are rooted in a tradition of Bermudian boat design.

Bermudian shipwrights built these ships from Bermuda’s cedar wood.  These trees are very resistant to rot, grew very fast and tall, and had a taste displeasing to marine boring worms. Cedar was favored over oak as the latter would rot in about 10 years, while cedar would last for almost 30 years and was considerably lighter.

The Bermuda sloop quickly became the predominant type of sailing vessel both in the Bermudian colony and among sloop rigs worldwide. Soon, shipbuilding became one of the primary trades on the island and ships were exported throughout the English colonies on the American seaboard, in the West Indies, and eventually to Europe.

Other than just as exports, Bermudans used these sloops to seasonally visit the Turk and Caicos Islands, where salt was harvested. This salt was carried to North American ports and sold at high profits. Bermudian vessels also developed a return trade in moving goods such as grain, cocoa, brandy, and wine from the North American colonies to the Caribbean. During wartime, much of Bermuda's merchant fleet turned to more lucrative occupation: privateering.

The evasive capabilities of Bermuda sloops made them the ship of choice for privateers, pirates, and smugglers. Bermuda sloops could escape better-armed privateers and even larger man-of-war naval ships which, with their square rigs, could not sail as closely to windward. The ability of the sloop rig in general to sail upwind meant a Bermuda sloop could outrun most other sailing ships by simply turning upwind and leaving its pursuers floundering in its wake.

When the ships needed to be de-fouled from seaweed and barnacles, smugglers and pirates needed to find a safe place to careen the hull. Sloops were well suited for this because they were able to sail in shallow areas where larger ships would either run aground or be unable to sail through at all. These shallow waters also provided protection from ships of the British Royal Navy, which tended to be larger and required deep water to sail safely.

While Bermudian privateers preyed heavily on American shipping during the American Revolution, some historians credit the estimated over a thousand sloops built in Bermuda as privateers and sold illegally to the Americans as enabling the rebellious colonies to win their independence.